Iraqi Police Train to Replace Army in Urban Areas -- U.S. Department Of DefenseWASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2008 – U.S. advisors are working with Iraq’s Interior Ministry to move the Iraqi police into a “primacy role” in securing urban areas, a coalition training commander said yesterday.
The Iraqi army currently works alongside coalition forces in providing security for most of Iraq’s major cities and towns, Army Col. Chris Fulton told military bloggers during a conference call. Fulton is chief of staff for the Directorate of Interior Affairs, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq.
Under the command’s joint campaign plan, the Iraqi police will develop the capabilities to gradually assume the responsibility for safeguarding these areas, Fulton said.
“Nobody wants the army in the cities,” he said. “You want police in the cities. You want [the] army conducting defense of the nation, not defense of the neighborhood.”
Toward that end, MNSTC-I trainers and advisors work daily with the police force and Interior Ministry officials to improve both capabilities and support functionality, Fulton said.
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My Comment: This is forward progress.